We Can Chase the Dark Together
by Queen-Annabeth-Winchester
Summary: Raised in the hunter's life, Elena decided to leave it all behind when she went to college. When Dean Winchester shows up and pulls both Elena and Sam back into the life she is forced to deal with her past and her attraction to Dean, helping the brothers along the way in their mission to find their father and to find justice for Mary and Jess. Dean/Elena
1. Pleasure to Meet You, Prepare to Bleed

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or SPN**

**Summary: Raised in the hunter's life, Elena decided to leave it all behind when she went to Stanford University. Living with her two best friends and pursing a degree in journalism, she thinks that everything is normal now. Dean Winchester shows up and pulls both Elena and Sam back into the life. Dealing with her own past and her strange attraction to Dean, she helps the brothers in their mission to find their father and hunt down what killed Mary Winchester and Jess. Dean/Elena**

**Story Title: Anthem of the Angels – Breaking Benjamin**

**Chapter Title: Night of the Hunter – 30 Seconds to Mars**

**A few things:**

**1\. I am changing Elena's background and her family history a lot. She's still going to have the doppelganger line throughout her family but it's going to be much, much different. That will be explained as the story goes on.**

**2\. Characters from TVD will be a part of the story, but on a smaller scale and in different roles than the show. But you will see them every now and then when the storyline calls for it. The ones from SPN will obviously pop up too, since this is set more in the SPN world.**

**3\. Elena's outfits are on my profile, as always.**

* * *

**June 29, 1987 – Mystic Falls, Virginia**

"Elena," Miranda's singsong voice echoed through the living room.

She looked up from where she sat next to her Aunt Jenna, a smile on her face.

"Mommy!"

Elena threw herself off of the couch and towards her mother, embracing her tightly as Miranda lifted her up into her arms.

"It's time for bed, sweetie. Let's go say goodnight to Jeremy," she said.

They walked up the stairs and to Jeremy's nursery. He was lying in the crib, cooing as he looked up at the ceiling.

"Goodnight Jermy," Elena said, leaning over to kiss his forehead.

He reached out, grasping for her long dark curls as she giggled and squirmed away. Miranda set her down on the ground before brushing her fingers through her son's downy hair.

"Goodnight love," Miranda said softly, smiling down at him.

"Elena," a voice said from the doorway.

"Daddy!"

Grayson lifted her into the air as soon as she stumbled over to him, holding her close as he kissed her cheek sloppily.

"You're going to be good for your Aunt Jenna, aren't you?" he asked, bouncing her lightly.

"Of course. I'm always good," Elena said simply.

He chuckled, nodding in agreement.

"That you are," Grayson agreed. "Let's get you in bed."

Both of her parents tucked her in, giving her kisses on her forehead.

"Why do you have to go, Mommy?" Elena asked, her big dark eyes blinking up at them.

"We have something very important to do, sweetie. We'll be back when you wake up, I promise," Miranda said with a smile.

"Does Daddy promise?" she questioned curiously.

Grayson nodded in response.

"I do promise," he assured her.

"Okay," she said, smiling with all of the innocence of a young child. "I love you."

"We love you too, Elena," they said at once, giving her one last kiss before they walked out.

They switched off the light, letting her glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling shine over her. Hours later, she woke up and, out of the corner of her eye, she saw the bulb of her night light flickering. Elena sat up, looking around with tired eyes. Her gaze fell on a dark shape standing by her window.

"Daddy?"

The man stared at her, his eyes glinting in the dark. He lifted his hand to his mouth, shushing her quietly. Then his head turned and he looked out the window where she could see red and blue lights flashing. Elena slid out of bed, walking over carefully. She pressed her hand to her chest where her heart was thumping quickly.

"Are you a stranger?" she whispered, looking up at him. "I'm not supposed to talk to strangers."

He still didn't answer, staring out of the window. Elena looked down to see police cars parked on the street.

"Did you do something bad?"

The man looked down at her, bending down to her ear.

"Go downstairs, Elena," he whispered.

She did as he said, walking out the door and down the stairs. There were people standing in her house. She didn't know them all.

"Mommy? Daddy?" Elena called.

Everyone looked at her, their faces sad. Her Aunt Jenna broke through the crowd and hurried to her, her face wet with tears.

"Elena, oh sweetie," she said, bending down to pull her into her arms.

Jenna was crying. Elena didn't know why. She patted her back like her mommy did when Elena was sad.

"What's wrong?" she asked, pulling away to look at her curiously.

Her aunt shook her head, wiping at her cheeks.

"Your mommy and daddy are gone, Elena," Jenna said, her lip trembling. "I'm so sorry. They're not coming back."

Elena stared at her for several moments.

"Did the bad man make them go away?" she asked.

Jenna's face turned to confusion and slight fear.

"Bad man?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

Elena nodded in return.

"The bad man upstairs. He's in my room."

Jenna looked over her shoulder with wide eyes, a panicked look on her face. The policemen ran upstairs with their guns out. Elena wondered if she said something wrong. She would usually ask her mommy but her mommy wasn't coming home. The men came downstairs. There was no one in her room. The bad man was gone. She started crying.

* * *

**Eighteen Years Later**

"Sam! Get a move on, would you? We were supposed to be there like fifteen minutes ago!" Jess yelled.

Elena glanced over her shoulder, a smile forming on her face. Her best friend was dressed as a sexy nurse, complete with red lipstick and white stockings.

"Don't think I've forgotten about you. You were supposed to be a sexy pirate," Jess said accusingly.

"I went with the 1940s look," Elena shrugged, putting on red lipstick of her own.

"You're wearing the same costume from two years ago," the other girl huffed, frustration clear in her voice.

"And you are the only one who remembers that."

Jess rolled her eyes, fixing her perfect blonde hair.

"Sam! You coming or what?"

Sam finally poked his head around the corner, an exasperated look on his face.

"Do I have to?" he sighed.

"Yes!" both girls said at once.

"It'll be fun," Jess said.

"You're not leaving me alone with her," Elena added.

Jess glowered at her and Sam laughed, showing off his adorable dimples as he stepped further into the room.

"And where's your costume?" Jess demanded, putting her hands on her hips.

Sam ducked his head, shaking it slightly.

"You know how I feel about Halloween."

Elena stood up with a sigh.

"I feel the same way and look at me," she said, gesturing to her costume.

"You look gorgeous," Jess said with a grin.

"I agree," Sam assured her.

She resisted the urge to flip them both off, knowing that they were just trying to make her smile.

"Just get me tequila," Elena commanded.

"Yes ma'am," they said at the same time.

* * *

Just as their mutual friend, Luis, approached the table with four tequila shots, they all took them and lifted them into the air.

"So here's to Sam and his awesome LSAT victory," Jess said proudly.

"All right, all right, it's not that big a deal," Sam said, flushing slightly.

They clinked glasses nonetheless, the other three grinning at his embarrassment. Elena took her shot first.

"Yeah, he acts all humble but he scored a one seventy-four," Elena said happily.

Luis drank his tequila first, followed by Sam.

"Is that good?" Luis asked.

"Scary good," Jess nodded.

She drank the clear liquid, inhaling deeply by the time it ran down her throat.

"So there you go. You are a first-round draft pick. You can go to any law school you want!" Luis said, sitting down between Elena and Sam.

"Actually, I got an interview here. Monday. If it goes okay I think I got a shot at a full ride next year," Sam said with a small smile.

"Hey," Jess said, nudging at him. "It's gonna go great."

Sam took a deep breath, nodding slowly.

"It better."

"How does it feel to be the golden boy of your family?" Luis questioned.

Jess and Elena fell silent, exchanging a wary look. Sam simply ducked his head.

"Ah, they don't know."

"Oh, no, I would be gloating! Why not?" their clueless friend demanded.

"Because we're not exactly the Bradys," Sam said, shoving Luis away when the other male threw his arm around his shoulders.

"And I'm not exactly the Huxtables. More shots?"

"No. No," they all protested.

Luis shrugged, walking up to the bar anyway.

"No, seriously. I'm proud of you," Jess said, returning her attention to her boyfriend. "And you're gonna knock 'em dead on Monday and you're gonna get that full ride. I know it."

"What would I do without you?" Sam sighed, looking at her lovingly.

"Crash and burn," Elena threw in, making them all laugh.

* * *

"I hoped that you would have more fun tonight."

Elena looked up from where she sat on her bed, smiling at Jess as she entered.

"I had plenty of fun," she said, curling her legs beneath her to give the tall blonde room to sit on the end of the bed.

Jess sighed, staring at her with a knowing look in her eyes.

"You know what I meant."

Elena nodded in agreement, hugging a pillow to her chest.

"Yeah, I do. You were trying to set me up…again. But just like every other time, you were unsuccessful. I'm hoping you'll give up at some point," she said, not so subtly trying to convince her best friend to do just that.

"Not a chance," Jess said with a shake of her head, a smile playing on her lips.

She huffed, knowing that she wasn't going to win that fight.

"Luis is nice but…he's just not my type, you know?"

The blonde girl nodded, frowning slightly.

"I don't know, maybe I just want you to find your very own Sam. It's very nice to have one," Jess said.

"I'll find one eventually, maybe. But it's not going to happen on a blind date and you know it," Elena informed her.

"Yeah, I know," she nodded, looking slightly disappointed.

Then a smile slowly creeped onto Jess's face.

"Has he asked you about rings yet?" she asked.

Elena threw the pillow at her.

"That's none of your concern," she said with a smile, shaking her head.

"I want to know! It's my future and my boyfriend!" Jess complained, throwing the pillow back at Elena.

"What about me?" Sam said, peeking his head.

"Nothing," they said at once, making him sigh heavily and shake his head.

"Whatever possessed me to live with two girls…" they heard him muttering as he walked back down the hallway.

Jess and Elena shared a look before promptly bursting into laughter.

* * *

As soon as she heard the crash from downstairs, Elena was up and out of bed. On instinct, she reached for the hidden knife beneath her pillow as her eyes flickered towards the alarm clock on her bedside table. It was almost three in the morning, definitely not time for visitors. She crept out of the room, briefly contemplating waking up Sam. Deciding against it, she continued on downstairs on the tips of her toes, staying as silent as she could. As she entered the kitchen, a shadow passed behind her and she whirled around, pressing herself against the wall as the intruder walked in.

All she could see was a profile but Elena was sure that she didn't know him. She gripped the knife in her hand, preparing to attack if the need arose. Then Sam came in, his tall, gangly form all too familiar. Elena inhaled deeply, hiding the blade behind her back as he began fighting the stranger with quite impressive form that she hadn't seen before. She remained quiet, watching as they fought each other like they'd done it a thousand times. Finally the intruder flipped Sam onto his back and Elena jerked forward as if to protect her other best friend.

"Whoa, easy, tiger," the man said, amusement clear in his voice.

Sam was breathing hard, looking up at the other guy with wide eyes.

"Dean?"

Elena froze, now aware of exactly who this was. Dean simply laughed, patting Sam's cheek with familiarity.

"You scared the crap out of me!" Sam said, clearly frustrated.

"That's cause you're out of practice," Dean shrugged.

Sam grabbed the back of Dean's hand, slamming his knee into his stomach before flipping them over.

"Or not," Dean groaned, tapping Sam's hand that was on his chest. "Get off of me."

The younger man rolled to his feet before helping his brother up. Elena didn't say a word, remaining silent in the corner as she listened, wondering why Sam's brother would break into their house at this time of night.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Sam demanded, wanting to know the same thing.

"Well, I was looking for a beer," Dean said, straightening out his younger brother's shirt.

Sam knocked his hands away, shaking his head.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he repeated in a voice that left no room for argument.

"Okay. All right. We gotta talk," Dean informed him.

Elena wondered how easily she'd be able to slip out of the room without their notice. Considering that their instincts were probably both excellent, she didn't think it was going to happen. So she stayed there, the knife hidden behind her back as she controlled her breathing so that they couldn't hear it.

"Uh, the phone?" Sam said, clearly annoyed.

"If I had called, would you have picked up?" Dean shot back.

Before they could say anything else, Jess was at the door and switching on the lights.

"Sam?"

Both of the men looked in her direction, giving Elena a chance to slip out, hiding the knife before circling around to walk up behind Jess with a confused and tired look.

"Jess, Elena…hey," Sam said, looking between them. "Dean, this is my girlfriend, Jessica, and our best friend, Elena."

Dean looked between them appreciatively, as if he couldn't settle on just one of them to focus on.

"Wait, your brother Dean?" Jess said with a smile.

Sam nodded, clearly stressed at this situation. Dean grinned charmingly, moving closer to them.

"Oh, I love the Smurfs. You know, I gotta tell you. You are completely out of my brother's league, both of you."

Jess and Elena shared a look, neither impressed by his attempt at flirting.

"Just let me put something on," Jess said.

"Yeah, I'll go too," Elena nodded, wanting to leave this alone.

Sam looked grateful but Dean stopped them, shaking his head.

"No, no, no, I wouldn't dream of it. Seriously," he said, holding his hand up before smiling at them again.

He moved back over to Sam without taking his eyes off of them.

"Anyway, I gotta borrow your boyfriend here, talk about some private family business. But, uh, nice meeting you both," he said, nodding at them.

Elena and Jess both looked at Sam questioningly and he shook his head.

"No."

He walked over to them, standing between them with his arm around Jess.

"No, whatever you want to say, you can say it in front of them," Sam decided.

Dean stared for a second, looking less thrilled at this situation.

"Okay," he said, turning to face them straight on. "Dad hasn't been home in a few days."

Sam scoffed, rolling his eyes as Elena and Jess glanced between him and his brother.

"So he's working overtime on a Miller Time shift. He'll stumble back in sooner or later."

Dean ducked his head with a frustrated look before glancing back up at them.

"Dad's on a hunting trip. And he hasn't been home in a few days," he said, clearly trying to stress importance.

A chill ran down Elena's spine and she froze, staring at Dean. Jess looked up at Sam questioningly, confused by what was going on.

"Jess, Elena, excuse us. We have to go outside," he said in a level voice.

They watched as he steered his brother outside, Dean waving over his shoulder good-naturedly.

"That was weird," Jess said, a frown on her face.

"Yeah, it was," Elena nodded, turning to walk to the stairs.

"He's pretty attractive though!" her friend called out.

She forced a laugh, shaking her head before ascending the steps quickly. By the time she made it to her room, Elena's heart was pounding in her chest. Hunter didn't have to mean what she knew it as. They could be talking about rifles and deer and camouflage. What were the odds that she'd been friends with another hunter for four years without knowing? She sank down onto her bed, staring straight forward as she tried to think this through logically. But her mind just kept going back to her past, back to when it started.

* * *

**July 5, 1987 – Mystic Falls, Virginia**

Elena sat on a chair, kicking her legs back and forth. Jeremy was on the chair next to her, sleeping in his carrier. Her eyes lifted and she saw her Uncle John only a few feet away talking with an angry blonde woman in a uniform. Elena thought that she might have been a police officer.

"You can't do this!" the woman hissed.

"This thing killed my brother and his wife. It left two kids orphaned," her uncle snapped back, pointing in the direction of Elena and Jeremy. "I have no other choice."

"They are children. You cannot have them join your crusade."

"It's my choice, Liz. I'm their guardian now."

"What about their choice, John?"

They both turned to look at Elena, John's face calculating and the woman's kind and sad. She was used to seeing sad looks when people glanced her way ever since the night that her parents went away.

"Elena, sweetie, do you want to live with your uncle?" the woman asked, approaching her.

Elena simply stared at her.

"She hasn't spoken since that night," John sighed, rubbing at his jaw.

"Oh well that's perfectly normal, John," Liz said with a roll of her eyes before looking back at Elena with concern. "She needs to be in therapy, not doing whatever you have in mind for her."

"For heaven's sake, she's four-years-old, Liz. I'm not going to put a gun in her hands and tell her to shoot. I'm just not going to lie to her about what happened. If she wants to hunt later on, she can. Jeremy can make the same choice."

"This is not what Miranda and Grayson would have wanted," the woman said angrily.

"They wouldn't have wanted a lot of things," John sighed before moving towards Elena and Jeremy.

He held his hand out and she took it, sliding off of the chair as he picked up the baby carrier. As they walked out of the police station, Elena looked over her shoulder at the woman.

"Uncle John?" she said, taking him by surprise as she spoke.

"Yeah?" he said, stopping to kneel down in front of her.

"Are you going to find the bad man?" Elena asked, tilting her head to the side.

He looked surprised, glancing over at Liz before looking at his niece once more.

"I am going to try," John said, looking at her warily. "What do you think about that?"

She considered it for a moment before nodding once.

"Can I help?" Elena questioned innocently.

John looked almost amused, reaching out to squeeze her arm lightly.

"Maybe one day," he decided.

* * *

**Present Day**

Elena sat on the bed in Jess and Sam's room, her knees pulled up to her chest.

"Wait, you're taking off?" Jess asked, leaning against the doorway.

Sam glanced up from where he was packing a duffle bag. One five minute conversation with his brother and he was leaving now.

"Is this about your dad? Is he all right?" Jess asked.

"Yeah. You know, just a little family drama," Sam said, giving them both a reassuring smile.

He walked over to the dresser and began rummaging in a drawer.

"Your brother said he was on some kind of hunting trip," Elena said, trying to wheedle some information out of him without raising his suspicions.

Jess sat on the bed next to Elena, her legs curled up beneath her.

"Oh, yeah, he's just deer hunting up at the cabin, he's probably got Jim, Jack, and José along with him," Sam joked, grinning at them. "I'm just going to go bring him back."

"What about the interview?" Jess asked.

"I'll make the interview. This is only for a couple days," he assured her.

They watched as he zipped up the bag and began moving towards the door.

"Sam, I mean, please," Jess said, standing up with a concerned look. "Just stop for a second."

Sam turned around with a sigh, glancing between the two concerned females.

"You sure you're okay?" Elena asked, looking up at him.

He let out a short laugh.

"I'm fine."

"It's just…you won't even talk about your family and now you're taking off in the middle of the night to spend a weekend with them?" Jess said with a frown. "And with Monday coming up, which is kind of a huge deal."

"Hey. Everything's going to be okay," Sam said, reaching out to cup the back of her head gently. "I will be back in time, I promise."

He kissed her full on the mouth before bending down kiss the top of Elena's head. As he turned to walk out, Jess followed with a stressed look.

"At least tell me where you're going!" she called.

* * *

Elena was unfocused, unable to concentrate on the textbook that was right in front of her. She sat at the table in their kitchen, twirling a butter knife between her fingers effortlessly as Jess chattered beside the oven.

"…seems weird that Sam would up and leave with his brother after almost four years of refusing to talk about the guy," she said, furiously mixing batter in a bowl.

Jess had a habit of stress baking. It was her way of dealing.

"It seems weirder that Sam's brother would show up after four years of not talking. The way that they spoke, it sounds like their dad has done this before. Why couldn't Dean just handle it himself?" she continued.

Elena lifted her head, a frown on her face.

"Where did Sam say that they were going?" she asked.

"Jericho, I think. It's not far from here, just a couple of hours," Jess said, licking the batter covered spoon clean before tossing it into the sink.

She considered that information for a second before standing up, grabbing her bag.

"I'm going to the library. I'll be back later," she said.

"But you're supposed to listen to me complain!" Jess said, narrowing her eyes at her.

Elena glanced at her over her shoulder, giving her a sympathetic look.

"Rain check? I'll bring ice cream and alcohol," she offered.

"I'll hold you to that," the other girl agreed, smiling slightly.

Elena nodded, hurrying out the door and down the street. She had research to do on Jericho, California.

* * *

By the time she was done, Elena had a list of names of men that had disappeared in Jericho and an increasing suspicion that Sam and Dean were talking about a different kind of hunting. On her way out of the library, she pulled out her phone and began dialing a number that she hadn't contacted in a long time.

"Hello?" the voice on the other end said.

"Hey Ric," Elena sighed, pausing to wait for his reaction.

"Elena," he said, sounding torn between surprise and relief. "Are you all right?"

She felt a rush of emotions at hearing him concerned for her, finding her way to a bench to sit down.

"I'm fine. School is fine. How is everything there?" Elena asked.

"Good, good. Do you want to talk to Jenna?" Alaric asked.

"No," she said quickly, shaking her head. "I need to talk to you."

He didn't reply for several moments, realizing that she meant to speak about a certain topic.

"What's going on?" Alaric said warily.

"Nothing," Elena assured him.

She hesitated, taking a deep breath. If she looked into this, there was no going back. She wouldn't be able to forget whatever information he was going to give her. But she had to know if her suspicions were true.

"Does the name Winchester mean anything to you?"

On the other end of the line, her former history teacher and mentor sucked in a breath.

"Which one? John or one of his kids?" Alaric asked.

Elena's heart plummeted and she swallowed hard, unable to believe that this was really happening. After all of her attempts to get away from that life, it had been there the whole time.

"His kids, I think. Sam and Dean?" she asked.

"Those are the ones. If they're in town then that means that something nasty is too. Elena, you need to be careful."

"They're not in town. They left. Everything is fine, Ric. I just wanted to make sure of something," Elena said, trying not to make him worry. "I'll talk to you later, all right? I have a big test to study for."

He sighed heavily on the other end of the line, knowing a lie when he heard it.

"You sure you don't want to talk to Jenna or Jeremy?" Alaric asked.

Elena paused, her heart skipping at the sound of her brother's name.

"No, just…just tell them that I say hi," she said quietly, knowing that she couldn't talk to her aunt or brother without explaining why she hadn't called in so long. "Bye Ric."

"Elena wait…"

She hung up the phone before he could stop her, shoving it down in her purse. Elena felt anger pulsing through her and she wasn't sure where it was aimed. She wanted to be mad at Sam for being a hunter and never telling her, but she'd done the exact same, so it didn't make any sense. There was the temptation to be angry with Dean for showing up and ruining this perfect illusion she'd set up in her life but he didn't know what the hell he was doing when he waltzed into their house. Mostly she was just mad at herself for thinking that avoiding her past could last.

* * *

"You doing okay?"

Elena looked up at Jess, who was sitting in the living room with her as they ate junk food and watched a marathon of Buffy. Her friend was calling Sam, who had yet to pick any phone calls.

"Yeah, just worried about Sam," Elena said.

It was only partly a lie. She was worried about him but, at the same time, she was wary of seeing him again. Jess frowned, nodding in agreement.

"Hey, it's me. It's about ten-twenty on Sunday morning," she said, looking unhappy that the call had gone to voicemail. "Elena and I are pretty worried that we haven't heard from you. So come home soon, okay? I love you."

"He'll be back soon," Elena said once she hung up.

"Yeah, I know. I guess I'm just not used to Sam doing stuff like this, you know?" Jess sighed, tossing her phone on the coffee table.

She nodded, knowing exactly what Jess was talking about. Sam was the dependable guy who never really did things that were cause for concern. This was very out of character for him, but then he was a hunter and that was the least consistent job in the world. Elena almost felt bad for not telling Jess about what she knew, but she knew that the other girl wouldn't understand. It was hard for anyone to wrap their head around, especially if they hadn't grown up in it. It would just mess Jess up more and she didn't want to do that unless it was necessary.

"I wonder if his refusal to talk about his family or his past is always going to cast a dark cloud over our relationship. Can I really marry a man who won't even discuss his parents?" Jess wondered.

"Jess, the only thing that matters is that you love each other. In the end, Sam's past is his own and you can't force him to talk about it. Is it so bad for him to want to leave that behind for a life with you?" Elena asked.

The blonde girl sighed, shaking her head.

"No, I guess it's not. I just get the weirdest feeling that whatever happened in Sam's past is going to come back and bite us in the ass," Jess said warily.

She shook her head, refusing to believe that.

"You two are perfect. You're going to have perfect dimpled, blonde babies and live in a perfect suburban neighborhood. That's your future, Jessica Lee Moore."

Jess grinned at her, nodding along with her words.

"I hope so," she said.

"I know so," Elena replied confidently, trying to ignore the creeping doubt that tugged the edge of her mind.

* * *

After a late night of working as a bartender in a restaurant nearby, Elena was walking home along the dark streets. When she rounded the corner of their block, her eyes fell on a loud black car that was idling outside of their house. Sam was walking up the sidewalk and Dean was watching him go from the driver's seat. Elena paused in place, considering her options before continuing on. Just as the door shut behind Sam, she rapped her knuckles on Dean's window. He jumped slightly, turning with wide eyes just before he recognized her.

"You scared the hell out of me," he said, looking up at her.

Elena bent over, crossing her arms on the door of the car as she leaned slightly in. Dean was smirking at her, a confident look in his eyes.

"So what was it?" she asked.

"Huh?" he said, looking slightly confused.

"A haunting right? On that one stretch of highway? It can't be a poltergeist. The men who disappeared had nothing in common so it wasn't a vengeance ghost."

Dean looked full on shocked now.

"Woman in white," he finally said.

Elena thought about it for a minute before nodding.

"That makes sense. They were all cheating bastards," she sighed, knowing that she should have figured that out.

He stared at her as if waiting for an explanation.

"You and Sam aren't the only ones with secrets," Elena said simply, straightening up.

Just as she did, her phone started ringing. She pulled it out of her pocket and looked down at the caller ID with a frown.

"Ric?" she answered, confusion clear in her voice.

"Elena, wherever you are, you have got to get out of there now. I looked up the area around Palo Alto and there have been omens. Demonic omens. Get out."

"Ric, wait. What do you mean?" she asked, looking at Dean with wide eyes.

The look on his face told her that he could hear Alaric talking on the other end of the phone

"Cattle deaths, electrical storms, temperature fluctuations. Elena, there is a demon there," Alaric said.

She looked up at the house, a sinking feeling in her stomach.

"Oh my God."

Elena ran up the sidewalk, Dean close behind her. Just as they burst through the front door, a loud scream shouted from upstairs.

"Jess! No!" they heard Sam shout as they darted up the stairs.

Dean slammed his way into the room and Elena felt heat drench her, looking inside only to see that Sam's ceiling was on fire and Jessica was pinned there.

"Jess!" she screamed, running inside.

"Sam!" Dean shouted, trying to pull his brother off of the bed while looking up at the ceiling.

Sam struggled with him, trying to get away to help Jess.

"No! No!"

Dean shoved Sam out the door as Elena stared up at the ceiling with horror. Next thing she knew, the older brother wrapped his arms around her waist and yanked her out. Dean manhandled both of them out of the house as they struggled, trying to get back to help her, though they both knew that it was too late. Just as they ran outside, the windows blew out of the room in an explosion. Elena collapsed on her knees in the grass, coughing and heaving as tears poured down her face. Sam knelt next to her, gathering her in his arms as they both cried. In the distance, they heard sirens coming.

* * *

Elena sat in the back of the ambulance with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, barely aware of the paramedic that was checking her blood pressure and pulse. She didn't answer any of the questions that he asked, too numbed to the outside world to think about it. When she looked up, she saw Sam and Dean hovering by the Impala and watching as the firefighters put the fire out in the upstairs part of their house.

"I'm fine," she said, pushing the man away.

"I really must insist that…"

Elena didn't listen, tossing the blanket towards him before crossing the street. She ignored the stares of their neighbors, walking straight up to Sam and Dean. They were both looking at her, Dean warily and Sam with sorrow. She swallowed down her emotions for the moment, knowing that they had to discuss everything now.

"We need to talk."

The brothers exchanged a look, both nodding in response. Dean opened the back door for Elena and she climbed in, pulling out her phone to text Alaric that she was all right and that she would talk to him later. The Impala started with a deep rumble and Dean pulled away, heading away from the house so that they could have a conversation about what just happened and what would happen now.

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**I would love to hear what you think!**


	2. Author's Note

I am really sorry for the long hiatus. I promise I am not done with this fic. I'm trying to get back into it. Please just bear with me. I've had some difficult times in the past few months but now I'm good and ready to write. Forgive me?


	3. Under the Weight of the World

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or SPN**

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and who has been so patient with me. I love you all and I am so grateful. I hope that this chapter, though rather short, will jumpstart my muse and get me going.**

**Chapter Title: Grow - Rae Morris**

**You can find Elena's outfits for the chapter on tvdcrossvers on tumblr under the navigation tab on the left side under Chapter 2 of this fic**

* * *

Elena let the coffee cup she held warm her hands, staring blankly out the window of the diner. The street outside was nearly deserted, most people long since asleep. But she was wide awake, replaying the scene in Sam's room again and again. Jess's face had been terrified as the flames overtook her. Elena knew that it had to be a demon of some sort. Anything else didn't make sense. She shuddered at the thought that it might have been hanging around the house for days. But even worse, she felt tears burning her eyes at how terrified Jess must have been.

"Elena," Sam said softly.

She broke from her trance, looking across the booth that she sat in. Sam and Dean were sitting side-by-side, both watching her warily.

"We have to call her parents," Elena said hoarsely, setting her cup down.

Sam looked away from her, a mixture of guilt and devastation flickering across his face. Dean glanced between them both before speaking.

"The police probably already," he said.

"But they should hear from us," Sam said.

Elena nodded in agreement, running her fingers around the rim of her coffee cup.

"How did you know about the woman in white?"

"Dean," Sam huffed, shaking his head.

She looked up at them, narrowing her eyes slightly at the older brother.

"She know something, Sam," Dean said defensively.

"My best friend just died," Elena hissed, curling her hands into fists. "Why the hell does it matter how I know?"

"Because either you're a part of the one percent of the human population that isn't ignorant or you're something different. If it's the first, we'll probably get along. If it's the second, I think we'll have a few things to discuss."

She knew that he was right, that they had to talk about this. But she thought maybe her grief might have been clouding her mind because all she wanted was to punch him in the face.

"I was a hunter," Elena finally said.

"Your family?" Sam said, his eyes widening with surprise.

She nodded slowly, meeting his gaze.

"Yours too, I assume?"

"Yeah," he said, glancing to Dean before looking back at her.

"Where's your family from?" Dean questioned.

"Virginia."

"Well what about-"

"Dean stop," Sam cut him off.

Dean wisely fell silent but Elena shook her head, her anger fading away.

"It's okay," she said, rubbing at a smudge of dirt on her hand. "I would be lying if I didn't say I want to ask all these questions of you."

Sam nodded, looking at her with painful understanding.

"We're hunters, our dad too," he told her.

"But you already knew that," Dean said.

"You two aren't exactly subtle," Elena replied.

The brothers exchanged a look before turning to her.

"Our mom died when we were young," Sam explained to her, leaning forward. "The way she died … it was the same as Jess."

"The same thing killed her," Elena realized.

They both nodded and she sat back, looking out of the window again.

"I'm sorry," Sam said, his voice broken.

She looked at him again and reached out, taking his hand.

"It's not your fault," Elena told him honestly. "Just like your mom's death isn't your fault and …" she hesitated, swallowing hard. "Just like my parents' death wasn't my fault or my brother's fault. We didn't ask for it to happen."

"Your parents died?" Dean asked.

She nodded, picking up her coffee to finally take a long drink.

"Demon," she finally said.

"Like…"

She shook her head before Sam could say the rest.

"It was different," she said, thinking about their bodies that were found on Wickery Bridge instead of burning on a ceiling. "My uncle was a hunter too. He taught me and my brother everything."

"But you don't do it anymore," Dean said.

"My uncle was killed two months before my high school graduation. I couldn't stomach the life anymore. Me and my brother both stopped."

Sam looked like he understood, nodding his head.

"And now?" he asked.

"I don't know," Elena said, pulling absentmindedly at the necklace she wore. "I thought that leaving would help me stop losing people but now…"

"Now it's different," Sam finished for her.

She nodded her head.

"We'll stick around town for a week or so, try to find anything about what killed Jess," Dean said.

"You're leaving?" Elena asked, looking at Sam with wide eyes.

He hesitated before nodding once.

"You can come," he offered.

"Sam," Dean protested, looking over at him.

"She's a hunter," Sam said, staring back.

"So she says."

Elena's anger returned quickly.

"I don't have to prove myself to you," she said, grabbing her jacket and purse.

She felt their eyes on her as she stood up and walked straight out the door. There was a chill in the night air, causing her to shiver before she shrugged on her jacket and took a deep breath. She didn't even really know where to go, considering that she rode to the diner with Sam and Dean. As she pulled her phone out to call Alaric, she heard the door opening behind her and turned to see Sam walking out, looking sheepish with his hands in his pockets and his head ducked.

"Sorry about my brother," he said.

"He's a real dick," Elena told him.

Sam almost smiled, shaking his head before sighing and looking down at the ground again.

"He thinks it's his fault," Sam said.

She frowned at him.

"What?"

"Jess. He thinks that … because he showed up…" Sam trailed off with a shrug.

"That's bullshit. The demonic omens were happening days before he came into town," Elena said.

"Yeah," he agreed with a nod.

She stepped towards him, putting her hand on his cheek.

"It's no one's fault, Sam," she reiterated.

He looked at her, sorrow in his eyes. When she pulled him into a hug, he went willingly. They embraced for a long few minutes, their tears falling silently. As Sam pulled away, wiping at his cheeks, she turned around and took a deep breath.

"Are you going to come with us?" Sam asked.

She looked back at him, shrugging once.

"I don't know."

Sam nodded, looking at her with understanding.

"I don't know what to do either."

They fell into silence, trying to wrap their heads around everything that had happened.

"Let's go find a motel to check into," Elena finally told him, watching over his shoulder as Dean walked out.

She didn't say a word to the older brother, walking to the car to climb into the back once more.

* * *

A week went by and Elena had the bare minimum of contact with either of the Winchesters. Now she was sitting in a folding chair amidst rows and rows of graves, listening to a preacher drone on about how Jess was in a better place. Sam was at her side, his hand linked with hers, with Jess's parents sitting on his other side. When it was finally over, she felt bad about how relieved she was that it was over. It took several days for the coroner to release Jess's body and now that she was finally being laid to rest, it was like she could think clearly for the first time in a while.

"She loved you both so much," Jess's mom said, putting a one hand on Elena and Sam's cheeks. "You were the best parts of her life."

They both smiled as best they could, unable to bear the sight of tears on Karen Moore's cheeks.

"We loved her too," Elena said, her voice breaking.

Jess's mom nodded and her dad gave them a pained smile before they turned to walk off, huddled close together. Elena wiped at her cheeks furiously before turning away from the gravesite. At the edge of the cemetery, she saw a familiar car.

"Come on," Elena said, hooking her arm through his.

They began walking towards Dean, who was leaning against the driver's door of the Impala. He looked at Elena warily, clearly not wanting to rehash the animosity they felt the night that Jess died. When they reached him, Sam turned to look at her.

"Come with us," he said.

Elena sighed, hitching her purse up higher on her shoulder.

"Sam I…"

"I need you with me, Elena. I can't lose you now too," Sam said, looking at her pleadingly.

She glanced at Dean, who was very pointedly looking at the ground. When he felt her gaze and looked up, he shrugged and tried to look unbothered.

"I could use someone smarter than him around sometimes," he said.

Elena knew that was as close to approval as she was going to get from the older brother.

"We're going to find my dad and we're going to find Jess's killer," Sam said confidently. "We could use your help to do it."

She looked at him, knowing already that he was convincing her.

"I guess I could put my studies on hold for a few months," Elena finally said.

His shoulders relaxed instantly and he looked like he was moments away from hugging her.

"I have one condition."

Both brothers looked at her with interest, waiting to hear what she had to say

"If we go anywhere near Virginia, I want to go see my brother. I need to talk to him about all this and I don't really want to do it over the phone."

Dean and Sam both nodded.

"Sounds like a deal," Sam said.

She nodded as well, glancing back at the cemetery. As she watched Jess's coffin be covered with dirt, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes, silently promising her friend, her sister, that she would find out who did this to her no matter what.

"Let's go," Elena said, turning back towards the Winchesters. "We have work to do."

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**Next up - Elena goes on her first hunt with the brothers.**

**Please review and let me know what you think! I know this chapter wasn't much but y'all will really keep me going on this if you talk to me about it.**


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